Punch released a limited edition cigar last year called the Punch Egg Roll. This year, to celebrate the Year of the Rat in the Chinese calendar, Punch is releasing another limited edition called the Chop Suey. This year, the cigar is being released in a panatela size that is supposed to showcase the tobaccos chosen for this cigar. The cigars will be released in 25 count boxes which are shaped like Chinese food take out boxes featuring Year of the Rat art and including a fortune from Mr. Punch.
- Wrapper: Ecuadoran Sumatra
- Binder: Nicaraguan
- Filler: Nicaraguan and Dominican
- Size: 7 x 37
- Vitola: Panatela
- MSRP: $5.49
Pre-Light
The Punch Chop Suey is a rough looking cigar. The wrapper looks mottled and toothy with a medium brown color. The wrapper and cap both look like they were applied in haste, but it is a budget cigar. The draw is a little tight, but nothing too bad. I get notes of leather, cedar, and earth on the cold draw.
First Half
The Punch Chop Suey is smoking quite well even with the tight draw. I get notes of leather, cedar, white pepper, and a slight nuttiness. The flavors are pretty basic and are short-lived on the palate. So far, off to a mediocre start.
Second Half
The Punch Chop Suey is a very linear cigar. I’m getting the same notes of cedar, leather, and a slight nuttiness, but now it has a slight sour citrus note. I get more the sour citrus note on the retrohale with the cedar note.
Conclusion
The Punch Chop Suey is a budget friendly limited edition….which is rare. You rarely, if ever, see limited editions in the budget realm, because usually the reasons it’s limited edition are lower production, rarer tobaccos, etc, which drive up the cost. The Punch Chop Suey though is a basic, linear cigar. The notes I got were ok, but nothing that kept me really interested. I don’t really expect much from a sub-$6 cigar, so this one was about what I expected. Still, I don’t think I would purchase these in my local shop as I’d rather spend maybe $.50-$1.00 more and get a much tastier cigar. For me, it’s a pass.
Hey Ben! Thanks for the review. I was interested in this one due to the packaging and that it’s rare, but unfortunate that it’s linear and doesn’t offer much on flavor. I will skip this for now, but I still like the packaging, can’t hide that fact.
So what is your favorite Punch cigar?
Thanks
Punch Gran Puro
And here we are 4 yrs later. This is a much better cigar with 4 years of age on it. Still linear, but the tobacco has a warmth to it now. No rough edges.